As a piggy-back to my post to on why Frenchies cost so much where I explained the financial investment to breeding healthy, socialized, designer colored coats which you can read here: https://www.nwfrenchies.com/blog/french-bulldog-cost , I would like to elaborate on the time, labor, and love that I personally invest into each and every litter. Not everyone is aware of the work that goes into raising a well-balanced puppy and I want my customers to know that I pour my heart and soul into these babies, and that nothing takes the place of high quality, consistent, round-the-clock care. My hope with this blog is to give a better appreciation for the fees that I charge for my puppies.
Breeding and Whelping
Hours spent searching for the perfect stud that will round out the features of my mamma-to-be to create puppies that are better in health and in confirmation than either parent alone.
Health check-ups for mamma
Progesterone testing 3-5 times (blood draws) to determine best date to breed
Informing the stud owner of testing results and either driving to the stud owner (I have driven 17 hours to a stud, and 17 hours back home before), or having a sample shipped and making an appointment with my vet for a transcervical insemination
Artificially Inseminating (AI), as this breed usually doesn’t tie naturally
Watching mamma like a hawk for the next months… unfortunately not every breeding results in a litter.
Ultrasound at 5 weeks to determine if pregnant
Reserve progesterone testing (blood draws) to make sure mamma is ready to deliver her babies
The big day! Cesarean section to deliver the puppies
Care for Newborn Puppies and Newly Breastfeeding Mamma
Giving plasma to newborn puppies to strengthen the immune system
STAY AWAKE for the next three days not leaving the newborn babies side. The first week is their most vulnerable time. I take day shift and my mom takes night shift. It only takes one minute for a loopy mamma to lay on top of her baby and just like that they will pass away
Helping the babies to latch on to mamma to nurse every single hour for the fist three days. This means I am standing over mamma and holding babies to her so they don’t loose their latch and to make sure every baby gets their meal. After three days then I latch them home every two hours, and after one week every three hours.
Wiping the babies bottoms every two hours to stimulate urination/defecation. This is vitally important because they will not relive themselves until stimulated. Constipation can kill a puppy. Mamma is exhausted after her c-section and may not be licking each baby so I have to do this.
Hygiene, bathing puppies and changing bedding every day and more than once a day. A clean environment is a healthy environment.
Not missing a dose of antibiotic and pain meds for mamma after c-section
Feeding heavily to make sure mamma makes adequate breast milk (I spend a minimum of $20/day on JUST meat PER mamma to keep her from losing weight). Breastfeeding sucks the weight off a mamma like nothing else. Imagine breastfeeding 6 human babies at once! Pain meds also make mamma nauseous. I usually am standing at her side, slowly feeding her by hand to make sure she eats her whole meal.
Caring for her sutures, and wiping down breasts after each feeding to prevent yeast infection, and then removing sutures once healed
Care for Older Puppies
Cleaning their room multiple times a day including washing blankets and beds, washing floors, bathing the puppies (potty training is very messy). Folding that laundry and laying down clean blankets and puppy pads. This consumes hours of time every single day.
Soaking puppy kibble and mixing puppy formula for weaning puppies, then washing those dishes
Teaching puppies where it is okay to potty ( and I have a separate blog on this https://www.nwfrenchies.com/blog/2018/10/14/pottytraining). This also consumes hours of time. I will be picking up each puppy individually and placing them onto pads, and then praising when they potty in the correct area. Once they are older and the weather permits I will be carrying them outside multiple times a day which is hard physical labor. I am only 100lbs myself and its EXSHAUSTING for me to do this
Trimming nails.. trust me this is time consuming when you have a litter of 6. That’s 96 tiny nails that I have to take extra care not to cut too close to the nail bed and not to scare the puppies throughout this process
Cleaning ears, which goes along with bathing and nails. It all takes time and effort. Nothing is done willy nilly.
Socializing! This is my favorite part, as this involves kissing, snuggling, ear scratches, belly rubs, and playing with the puppies.. this also takes many hours out of my day and I’m not complaining! But I do want to emphasis the importance of this step, as puppies absolutely require socialization to help form healthy, loving bonds with their humans
Medial Care
Administering vaccinations
Administering dewormer
Vet check ups
Extra extensive care in the event a puppy gets a cold. I will do everything in my power to avoid this but as well all know, just like human children.. colds are a part of life. In the unfortunate event I have a baby under the weather I will be spending countless hours and thousands of dollars on canine plasma, medications, nebulizer treatments, and so on.
Finding Homes for My Puppies
Building, maintaining/updating, and paying for a website
Posting to social media.. and trust me this takes hours
Replying to emails, text messages, I wont say phone calls as I hardly ever pick up my phone (I can’t! I’m too busy doing everything else during the day!) but just replying to hundreds of inquires takes hours of time and most of these engagements do not turn into sales due to window shoppers and those individuals who have no idea how much these puppies cost
Taking hundreds of photos. My extra nice looking photos are taken as a team effort with my husband on his DSLR. He will spend hours looking through these photos and converting them into files that I can use, and adding watermarks
Scheduling times with potential homes to come and visit, cleaning my house for the visitors, and then interacting with those customers sometimes over an hour while they ask questions and make their choice (hopefully!) sometimes I will invite families into my home and answer questions and they will leave so that is time wasted for me
Once I do have a puppy chosen, those individual families will receive extra instructions and information for new puppy care. My puppy homes will have me as a resource for life, as this a relationship we build together not just a sales transaction.
Trust me there is so much more beyond what is written out here, and please consider that I am also a mother to two young children (4 year old daughter, and 1 year old son). And no, I never sleep. Know this, whatever environment your puppy grew up in will reflect their personality, trainability, and even overall health. Setting a proper foundation of love, hygiene, and medical attention will give the best start in life. I believe in compassionate, responsible, and ethical breeding. And it really does take this much work and time to accomplish. Sending my love and my hugs from NW Frenchies.
Lilac Fawn Aria, NW Frenchies
Me and Aria, Lilac Fawn French Bulldog, NW Frenchies
Lilac Fawn French Bulldog, NW Frenchies